Yes, I'm Muggleborn!
by DarkTranquility91
Summary: This story follows our unsung heroes, the Muggleborn Wizards from Gryffindor. I also added a new twist to Ron's character, which is more mature and playing to his strengths. Harry and Hermion will play a key role, but the spotlight will be stolen by Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas & Colin Creevy. Smart Ron, Half-blood Dean, Savage Colin. Rated M for Language and Graphic Violence!
1. The Conflict

**Disclaimer: ROWLING'S WORK, NO MONEY MADE**

 **Yes, I'm Muggleborn**

 **Chapter 1**

 _Ron wrenched the chain from over his head and cast the locket into a nearby chair. He turned to Hermione._

 __

 _"What are you doing?"_ _  
_

___"What do you mean?"_ _  
_

___"Are you staying, or what?"_ _  
_

___"I..." She looked anguished. "Yes.. yes, I'm staying. Ron, we said we'd go with Harry, we said we'd help"_ _  
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___"I get it. You choose him."_ _  
_

___"Ron, no ¨please ¨come back, come back!"_ _  
_

___She was impeded by her own Shield Charm; by the time she had removed it he had already stormed into the night. Harry stood quite still and silent, listening to her sobbing and calling Ron's name amongst the trees._ _  
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___After a few minutes she returned, her sopping hair plastered to her face._ _  
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___"He's g-g-gone! Disapparated!"_ _  
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___She threw herself into a chair, curled up, and started to cry._ _  
_

___Harry felt dazed. He stooped, picked up the Horcrux, and placed it around his own neck. He dragged blankets off Ron's bunk and threw them over Hermione. Then he climbed onto his own bed and stared up at the dark canvas roof, listening to the pounding of the rain._

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Ronald Weasley was miserable. He had just finished wandering around for hours, looking for Harry and Hermione. He had been an utter prat, he realized that now. "THAT DAMN HORCRUX!" he yelled furiously. He heard a low howl from a distance, and instantly dropped his voice to a grumble.

"Don't be an idiot Ron. You don't want to be eaten by an animal after that fiasco back at the tent.", he chuckled humorlessly. He had said the nastiest, meanest things to Harry. And Hermione…, he couldn't even begin to imagine what she would be thinking now. Like an idiot he forced her to make a choice between him and Harry, and he was devastated to see her pick him.

"She doesn't love you, Ron" The Horcrux had whispered back then.

He had left it, stepped out and had regretted it as soon as he was back in the darkness.

"Calm down Ron." He told himself. He had been an idiot before, but if there was one thing Ronald Weasley prided himself on, it was his ability to think strategically. He knew he had a poor chance of finding his friends now that he was away from them. It's not like the Death Eaters had found them yet, he thought hopefully.

Right now, his options were to either continue to search for Harry and Hermione, or to return back to the Burrow. He dropped the other idea almost instantly. He could imagine his Father's reaction to that. Arthur Weasley might be considered a joke by many people, but nobody had ever called him a coward.

AND HIS MOTHER!

He blanched when he thought what Molly Weasley would say to her son. Her eyes full of disappointment. No, BUGGER THAT. He had to think of an alternative. He couldn't just wander back home, and he would have little luck finding Harry tonight.

Then, he stopped suddenly as a thought entered his mind.

Hadn't they heard Dean and Ted before when they were speaking with Phineas Nigellus? It had been little over a day. They couldn't be that far away! Dean was a mate of his, and he could join up with him and travel much in more safety. And Ted Tonks might have some knowledge about the Order's current whereabouts. Ron quickly ran a mental checklist of possible scenarios and decided on the following:

Find Dean and the others.

Regroup and resupply. (He did have Dittany, potions and a small quantity of food, no Candy on him.)

Find Hermione and Harry.

With this plan, Ron got up and started walking towards the stream. Didn't the goblins caught fish by using magic near that stream. It made sense to have a camp near it, as they would have a steady supply of fresh water. Not to mention, a side of their tent protected by water. He whipped out his wand and whispered, " _ **Point Me Stream**_ ".

"North-East then", Ron thought happily as he changed directions and started walking.

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Dean Thomas was bored as he poked at the flames. It had been hard work carrying their supplies up the wooden slope. Being on the run had been scary in the beginning, but after weeks hiding away in woods, meadows and at the edges of civilization, it had turned into something of a routine. Wake up before dawn, cook breakfast, pack, bring down protective enchantments and hide traces of their camp. Then take an inventory of the food they had left and plan the next safe location to go to. They had been hunted by snatchers, Ministry personnel, even chased out under a huge Oak tree by a swarm of angry Bowtruckles. "Wand trees", Griphook had grunted while Ted and Dirk chuckled. Dean also had a grin on his face when he remembered Hagrid's class on Bowtruckles, or had it been Professor Grubbly-Plank? He was finding it harder to keep those memories straight in his head now.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned back to see Ted coming towards him. Dean wordlessly got up and handed Ted back his wand with a stony face. Ted Tonks smiled gently and said, "Thanks for keeping watch Dean, I'll take it from here". Dean nodded and went back in the tent.

Rowan and Unicorn Horn core, he thought.

He had been eleven years old when he got his letter to Hogwarts. His Mum had been so proud, her little boy a Wizard! His father had never been a part of his life. Her Mum had gotten pregnant with him after a small affair she had in London during her visit to the Museums there. She restored old Paintings and Murals, and Dean had been watching her paint since he was a toddler. She had taught Dean to paint as well, and Dean had hoped to become a Portrait Painter after he graduated. He had been fascinated by the portrait of the Fat Lady as a little Firstie, and had spent many hours asking her questions. The Fat Lady had answered his questions with fond patience. She was proud of her little lions, but especially of little Dean Thomas. Many thought Gryffindors were all about recklessness and mindless courage, but bravery came in many forms. It took guts to make Art, a measure of honesty to portray something as it is which is uncommon.

As Dean lay down on his bedroll, he wondered where it all had gone wrong.

He knew what it meant to be different from others. He had faced ostracism before because of his skin color. He wasn't too bothered by the condescension heaped on him for being a Muggleborn. He knew most people will always judge you based on appearances, and they were the wrong sort to hang out with.

It had all changed with a letter he received in August at the beginning of his 7th year, asking him to come to the Ministry for registration. Muggleborn Registration. He had been understandably nervous. His 6th year had been a turbulent one, with Voldemort's return and reign of terror he had sprung upon Wizarding Britain, followed by Headmaster Dumbledore's murder at the hand of that sneering bastard Snape.

 _Muggleborns have to register at the Ministry of Magic_ , _Mr. Thomas._

It was never good when a group people were segregated based on ethnicity, or "stolen magic". Suddenly, he thought of the Holocaust. Jews led to their deaths by the millions. They had been asked to surrender their jobs, wealth, liberties and the last shreds of their dignity. And then they were slaughtered like animals.

Rowan and Unicorn Horn core, he remembered.

He had surrendered his wand willingly before he entered the room. It was a just a small formality, Percy had said. He would be given a code number and be required to check in with Ministry. They would try to confirm his ancestry to see if he had any witches or wizards in his family. As soon as he stepped in the room, he knew it had been a very bad idea.

It was the Toad.

She was smiling like she had swallowed a particularly juicy fly. Madam Umbridge tittered, "Mr. Thomas, how good to see you again. How are you this morning?"

He had recovered fast, he remembered proudly. He had stepped forward, and gave an elaborate low bow. "It's a pleasure to see you Professor Umbridge. I hope you are well." He gave a small smile.

Umbridge looked surprised, and a little flustered.

"I'm good, thank you!"

"I never did thank you for your hard work during our 5th year at Hogwarts. I managed to get an EE in DADA, and it's all thanks to your dedication and guidance." Dean lied smoothly. In his head, Dean was disgusted. But he had realized that Professor Umbridge heading the Muggleborn Registration committee was a very bad thing. Hadn't Hermione mentioned once during their DA meeting, that she hated half-breeds and was responsible for some anti-werewolf legislation that made it impossible for people like Professor Lupin to get a job anywhere?

"You're such a dear aren't you? I really appreciate good manners Mr. Thomas", Umbridge smiled widely now. "Now don't you worry, my dear boy... This is just a formality to separate magic thieving mudbloods from honest wizards and witches. I just wanted to ask you a few questions, and then I'll be happy to send you on your way!"

"As you wish Professor", Dean swallowed nervously.

"State your name for the record please"

"Dean Fabian Thomas"

"Name of parents?"

"Viktoria Thomas, Professor. I never knew my Father" Dean supplied.

"What a pity", there was no pity in her gaze.

"Mr. Thomas. You have been unable to prove a wizard in your immediate family, and we have no records of squibs with the name of Viktoria Thomas. Now usually, I would recommend you to be a ward of the Ministry where you will live in an institution with other Muggleborns. You will be taught essential skills to support the population and industries of Wizarding Britain." She smiled widely, "However, I remember you and Mr. Seamus Finnegan from Hogwarts. You had stood up to Mr. Potter's lies back then and I really appreciate that. You have the proper spirit and I wish to give you a fighting chance."

Dean had never been more thankful for Seamus being such a prat to Harry back at the beginning of their 5th year. Umbridge tapped the ornate silver bell with her wand. The doors opened and Percy Weasley entered.

"Good morning Percy. Can you be a dear and escort Mr. Thomas to that filthy goblin for a paternity test?"

"But of course, Madam Umbridge", Percy bowed. "Come along Dean", he said in his Prefect Percy voice.

Dean followed Percy down the corridor till he reached a room guarded by two Dementors. He felt the cold before he saw them.

 _His teeth chattered and he felt any icy shard pierce his heart. He remembered his mother crying in the living room, looking at an old photo of her with a man with flaming red hair. He remembered being back in the Gryffindor Common Room and seeing Ginny rush into Harry's arms and kiss him. He remember gripping the goblet too hard and the glass shattering in his hand, red drops falling like tears on the floor._

He was enveloped by a blazing warmth.

"Sorry about that", Percy said as his Dog Patronus moved in front of Dean. It was a big German shepherd and the Dementors quickly gave way while opening the door. He nodded to the two Hit Wizards standing behind the Goblin's desk.

"Griphook, we need a paternity test", Percy said in an official tone.

"Drop 7 drops of blood here", Griphook grunted without even bothering to look up.

Dean picked up the silver needle and pricked his thumb. He carefully counted down seven drops of blood in the vial. Griphook extended a clawed finger in the vial and started swirling the blood within while chanting in Gobbledygook.

Dean watched in fascination as the blood swirled into a pale blue whirlpool, moving in hypnotic patterns. Griphook raised an eyebrow at Dean and said, "Pureblood father". Percy looked extremely interested and a little relieved. He gave Dean an encouraging nod.

Griphook snapped his fingers and the blue whirlpool rose and hit the blank parchment in the middle.

Percy looked down at the parchment in shock while Griphook grinned nastily.

 _ **Dean Thomas, son of Viktoria Thomas and Gideon Prewett.**_

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 **Author's Note** **\- I've made some edits after** _ **LeadVone**_ **gave me a few good tips. I would like to thank** _ **Unlikely2**_ **, my first ever reviewer for his kind comments! :D I would be updating fairly regularly every week, as I have a planned plot progression for this fic. Please let me know your thoughts through your reviews!**


	2. Are you a wizard or not?

His leg was on fire.

Colin could barely keep his cry of pain inside him as he removed the other iron out of the fire and put it against his left thigh. It hurts like a motherfucker, but it's much more preferable than bleeding to death. He was holed up in a small maintenance room, inside an abandoned factory in Manchester. Dennis had left half an hour ago to find a Chemist shop. His little brother had seemed quieter than usual, but his eyes had burned with an inner fire that told Colin it would be an unlucky Death Eater that ran into Dennis.

Colin chuckled as he remembered the time his brother used to follow him around the Gryffindor Common Room as they tried to hang around Harry, clicking photos and in general making a nuisance of them. He knew that the other Gryffindors thought they were a bit of a joke, with them hero-worshipping Harry all the time and lugging Muggle contraptions like cameras, Walkmans even though most of them never lasted more than a week in Hogwarts. Colin also knew the Gryffindor's opinion was much kinder than what the Slytherins thought of them.

" _It must have surprised old Flint when Dennis banished that dungbomb in his eye_ ", Colin grinned.

They had been trained by Harry during the Dumbledore's Army sessions, but apart from mastering the Impediment Jinx and Petrification Curse, Colin hadn't really mastered much offensive magic. Dennis was rather good with the Reductor Curse after Ginny had given him a few pointers. " _It's all about intent_." Ginny had told Dennis with a wink. " _Just think about the dummy crumbling wherever the curse touches. Imagine the grey color of the redactor just disintegrating through matter_."

What would have been a successful initiation test for Marcus Flint and friends had turned out to be a bloodbath, just because Flint made a single mistake. He never thought that a Muggleborn might use something other than Magic to protect them. The Creevy's house had basic protection wards which the Ministry erected as a courtesy to all Muggleborns which included basic fire-proofing, self-maintenance and anti-apparition wards within the house. The Death Eaters were skilled enough to easily break these wards before they corned their prey. But Colin had done something which Marcus never expected. He had made a habit of quietly adding a live electricity wire to the metal fence he had erected around the house. He had added a simple sign in red saying " **ELECTRIFIED** " to all passer-bys.

Marcus Flint was grinning as he broke the words and stepped up to the fence. The next moment he screamed as thousands of volts of electricity coursed through his body. His magic prevented him from being incinerated, but he was flung backwards and crashed into a car. His two companions were flabbergasted as they saw their leader blasted away. In his room Colin woke up when he heard the screaming. He quickly picked up his wand from his bedside and went towards Dennis's room to find him already awake and picking up a two Backpacks. They were the two backpacks Colin had charmed with undetectable extension charms, with a little help from Hermione. Hermione had always been the person who had always helped Colin and Dennis whenever they had any problems with homework or needed advice when they were over their heads.

Colin and Hermione had grown especially close after they both had been petrified by the Basilisk in Colin's first year. She had helped him catch up to his friends in class, by privately tutoring him and lending him her notes. She had been the one to suggest Colin to keep a survival backpack handy as the current political climate wasn't very healthy for Muggleborns.

Bless that Hermione, Colin thought as he signaled Dennis to keep quiet and told him to move towards his parent's bedroom. He suddenly heard his mother shriek downstairs in the kitchen. He ran towards the stairs, and just as he was opening the kitchen door he saw a blinding flash of green light strike his mother in the back as tried to get away. He could see her eyes go blank as she tripped and fell a couple of feet shy of his outstretched arms. He had stood there stupidly looking at his mother when he heard a cry of " ** _Sectumsempra_** ". He saw a silver colored scythe flash towards his midriff and only his instincts, drilled through hard lessons by Harry, saved his life. He managed to raise his wand and shouted, " ** _PROTEGO._** "

The dark cutter was a strong spell, Colin thought, as he remembered the jolt which went through his shield. Colin's shield splintered near his left leg and the Sectumsempra spell, though left very weak by his shield, still left a deep gash in his left thigh. Colin fell on his back and tried to get back up, but his leg kept slipping in his blood. The Death Eaters chuckled.

" _Where's your camera now, Mudblood_?" the first death eater sneered.

" _If you want, I can let you take a couple of pictures of your whore mother right there._ " said the other one.

Colin gripped his wand and tried to control his rampaging emotions. He could not let himself die here. He had to save his Da and Dennis… Where the fuck was Dennis? His eyes widened comically when he saw Dennis and his Da had snuck up behind the two Death Eaters. Dennis had casted Silencing charms on him and Da, he nudged Da and pointed towards the enemy before he disintegrated through the two Death Eaters with a single Reductor. His curse had been powerful enough in his anger to burn a hole through a Death Eater's back and partially destroy the others abdomen. As the other Death Eater tried to hold his mangled intestines in with bloody hands, Colin's Da had picked up his shotgun and shot him through the head.

His Da went over to his Mum's body and gently closed her eyes with one hand, the shotgun in his other hanging limply. Dennis ran over and pointed his wand at his wounded leg, shouting " ** _Episkey_** ". The bleeding slowed down but the wound refused to close. " _Its Dark magic_ ", Colin whispered as he lost blood at an alarming rate. Dennis blanched as he tried to desperately think of ideas to help his elder brother. " _DITTANY_!" he whooped as he started to rummage through the supplies in desperation.

" ** _Are a wizard or not_**?" Colin glared. A ghost of a grin flickered Dennis's face as he raised his wand and said, " _Accio Dittany_ ". He pulled out a bandage and soaked it in Dittany, then applied it on the wound. The wound smoked and started healing immediately, and in a matter of seconds looked several days old. It still bled a little but by then Da was there, and he was tying a tourniquet with his belt.

" _Dennis, stay with your brother while I deal with that scum outside."_ Da said as he picked up his gun and started walking towards Flint. By then Flint had seen the fate his compatriots had fallen to and was trying to crawl away. Colin saw his Da stand a couple of meters away from Flint and point his gun at him. Flint had pissed himself by that point.

His father shot Flint in the chest and started walking back to the house. Colin saw that the bullet had torn through Flint's chest and he was seconds away from death. He saw Flint whisper something.

There were a series of cracks all around as half-a-dozen hooded figures appeared around his Da. His Da shouted, " _Get away"_ as he turned and shot the death eater closest to him in the face. There was a siren wailing around them. In the darkness of the kitchen, Colin heard Policemen arriving at the scene, waving guns and ordering everybody to stand down. There was an orange light from one of the Death Eaters and one of the Police cruisers blew up in a tornado of fire. Another Death Eater's silver arrow shaped spells pulverized Colin's Da legs as he tried to aim his gun at his next target.

Colin watched in horror as another police car was lit on fire and flipped through the air. He saw it land on his Da and the other Death Eater, he heard Dennis shouting " ** _Mobilacorpus_** ", " ** _INCENDIO_** " before he passed out from the blood loss.

 **Author's Note: I have always wondered why the Creevys never played a bigger role in the books. They were devoted to Harry and reasonably trustworthy. I thought a darker Colin would be like Bellatrix to Voldemort, just crazy in his attempts to please. What say you my dear readers? **


	3. Unexpected Encounters!

**Disclaimer: Characters owned by Miss Rowling, I'm just a dabbler.**

 **Chapter 3 – Unexpected Encounters**

Ron woke up to find a large spider crawling over him.

He slapped it away with a shudder, looking for his wand. Last night he had made a simple lean to after he had given up looking for Dean. He had followed the stream down for a few miles and back, but could pick up no trace of either Dean or his companions. He had managed to transfigure a rudimentary shelter to save him from the elements, and cast the usual protective enchantments. Apparently they didn't do much to keep away insects, he grimaced. He couldn't remember the enchantments Hermione used to do that. Ron sighed.

He had hated spiders ever since that incident with Fred. He was seven when he had " _borrowed_ " Fred's toy broomstick to ride and accidently broken it when he collided with his father's shed. Fred had, in a display of impressive wandless magic for a nine year old, transfigured his favorite teddy bear into a huge spider. One moment he was hugging Max, the other moment he was eye to err... eyes with a huge arachnid. Needless to say he had been scared shitless of spiders since. He quickly cast a breath freshening charm and packed his gear. He wanted to continue his search for Dean as soon as possible. He was worried they had might shift their camp to a different location like he, Harry and Hermione had been doing. He decided to search the area surrounding the stream. Maybe Dean had decided to seek the cover of the woods?

The sun was just beginning to rise when Ron stuck camp and began walking. The forest was starting to taking on a reddish-gold hue, the green leafs glinting under the morning rays and birds chirping as the day began. Ron was mesmerized by the serene morning, but his appreciation of beauty around him was marred by thoughts of his friends. Ronald Weasley might have the emotional range of the teaspoon (very funny Hermione), but he did care for his friends. But that bloody Horcrux was telling him all the time that he was a simple foot soldier, he would never amount to anything more than a lickspittle, and at his best would be nothing more than a pale imitation of Harry's nobility. He wanted to go back to Harry and apologize for being such a git. He wanted to tell Hermione that he didn't mean to be such a prat, and would have never made her choose between him and Harry… He wanted to get away from these bloody flies...

He skidded to a halt as his leg slipped under him, and cursed loudly as a couple of flies went in his mouth. He gagged slightly as he cast a quick freshening charm in his mouth, and then paled when he saw that his leg was splattered with red mud.

Not mud. Blood.

He had walked into a fucking nightmare. He saw bodies lying around, and he was hit by a nauseating ripe stench. There were four bodies lying there, two men and women. Ron took one look at a girl's body and threw up. He was on his knees as he crawled away from the destroyed camp.

"Get a grip, Ronald," he commanded himself. His mind was a blaze of thoughts, each darker than the last. Was this Dean's camp? Was he too late? Were there more enemies hidden nearby?

He took a deep breath and tried to focus his thoughts. First things first, he had to check for survivors. He tried and casted a bubble headed charm on his second attempt, followed by a quick _Homonum Revealio_.

He felt his magic extend over the campsite and felt no answering tugs. He knew that _Homonum Revelio_ spell only located humans as it touched upon the human soul. Therefore, a sentient being like Centaur or a Goblin would remain unnoticed. He also knew there was no human alive in the camp. He cast a Disillusionment charm and _Silencio_ and crept back into the campsite. The men had died quickly, one bearing the marks of cutting curses and the other without a single wound on his body. _Avada Kedavra_ , Ron guessed. It was the women who had suffered, and missing some body parts as far as Ron could see. The two couples, as Ron assumed, were just a few years older than him, and appeared to be Muggles camping out for fun. Ron turned faintly green at the thought of Dark Wizards harvesting body parts from Muggles. Hadn't Bill mentioned once that a few Dark Creatures did that? The bodies only looked a day or two old. It meant there had been Death Eaters around them and they didn't even know about it. He decided that he had been pretty cavalier with his safety last night and vowed to use additional precautions

CONSTANT VIGILANCE. He snorted, thinking of the tongue lashing old Moody would have given him for such a mistake. He briefly considered fetching Moody's magic eye from the place they had buried it, but his respect for the Master Auror would not let him do it no matter how valuable the artifact.

He decided to shrink the muggles and bury them. It pained Ron to do this, but he was in a hurry. Neither could he just move on and leave their bodies to scavengers. He quickly buried them, carved a small X in the trunk over the bodies and went to check the tent for supplies. There he found a carton of Dunhills, some kind of food packets covered in plastikk, and a locked metal box. He quickly cast an Alohomara and found a strange blue-tinted cylindrical metal object, and a few dozen copper cone shaped thingys. Some of the copper thingys were also covered by a black circular object. Suddenly he remembered a half forgotten memory of his Father in his shed, saying something about Muggles using metal wands, what was it called? Guns? He looked at the gun, Ruger GP 100 was engraved in neat letters.

Ron shrugged and put everything in his backpack. It was time to check the hills by the stream.

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Dean's mind was running a thousand miles a minute.

Percy was walking alongside him, whispering urgently as he escorted him back to Umbridge for his final verdict. Dean was nodding along as he tried to make sense of what Percy was saying. His father was Gideon Prewitt, Percy's uncle. He had been killed along his brother Fabian by Antonin Dolohov during the last war. He was Ron's cousin. Blimey, HE WAS GINNY'S COUSIN. He stop as an involuntary shudder ran through his mind as he remembered certain moments he stole with Ginny back at Hogwarts, lurking in broom closets and secret corridors. Suddenly, Dean was immensely relieved that he never moved beyond snogging (he cringed) with Ginny, and the fact that she was now dating Potter.

He realized that he was now safe from whatever hell the Ministry had planned for Muggleborns. He felt a sense of relief as he let out a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding in. He was being pulled along by Percy as he was shuffled along to Umbridge's office, he barely heard Percy telling Umbridge that Dean had been found to be a part of the Prewitt family tree as an illegitimate son. Dean tried to make sense of these facts as Umbridge declared that he would be returning to Hogwarts for his 7th year, and should he perform his duties to the Ministry adequately, she would be delighted to legitimize him as a Prewitt and claim the Prewitt Family heirlooms, galleons, etc, etc.

" Er… sorry Professor. Can you please repeat that?" Dean said as Percy elbowed him sharply in the side.

Umbridge rolled her eyes as if she were praying to Heaven for patience. "I was SAYING, Mr. Thomas, that you may have realized that there are major changes afoot in our world. We are going to revolutionize Wizarding Britain, bringing in a new era of enlightenment and prosperity. As always with such a noble dream, there are some... barriers, which must be overcome to usher in a new way." She smiled widely, "As you have been an exemplary student, can I count on your continued support of the Ministry when you return to Hogwarts?"

Dean swallowed, "I'm always ready to do my duty for Britain, Professor."

"Very good… you are free to go Mr. Thomas. I'll let Professor Carrow know that he can depend on you when he has need of your… services." Umbridge smirked as she waved him away. "Send in the next muggleborn, won't you Percy?"

"You did well back there Dean. For a moment I was worried you might say something stupid." Percy confided as he walked him back to the lifts. "You're my cousin, my family. If there is any help you need, just Owl me." Percy smiled.

Dean grinned back weakly. Cousin Percy. It seemed strange to think of the officious Percy as his cousin, but family was family and Dean Thomas had precious little of that.

As they reached the lifts, Percy held out Dean's wand. Dean grabbed it, and the wand rejoiced at meeting with his master again. His wand throbbed in his hand and emitted silver blue sparks.

"Rowan" Percy commented, "Protection and inspiration." Dean grinned sheepishly.

 _Dean was eleven when he stepped into Ollivander's shop for his first wand. He had tried a lot of wands while his mother watched nervously. Dean was worried that this was all a horrible joke and he would be sent back to his old life, as he tried wand after wand. Ollivander assured him that he would find a match, and that it was to Dean's credit that he was not fitted within the first nine wands, saying that there were common types of wizards and then they were unique wizards._

 _He went to the back of his shop and dumped an armload in front of Dean. As he picked up the fifth wand, he felt something cool spreading in his arm, turning pleasantly warm by degrees and then his wand was shooting silver sparks._

" _Ah… Rowan with Unicorn horn core. It's a rather unusual combination" muttered Ollivander as he looked at Dean with his unnerving gaze. "Rowan symbolizes protection and courage and wisdom, while Unicorn Horn core is usually used in Beauty Potions and Skelegrow. However, these two put together have a peculiar result."_

 _Dean's eyes spread to the size of Galleons as he wordlessly implored Ollivander to continue._

 _Ollivander chuckled, "A good wand for offensive and subtle magic"_

" _I'm afraid there must be some sort of mistake, Mr. Ollivander. My Dean is not one to pick fights. He's a good boy who likes studying and drawing," his mother had stated stoutly, She reached out and ruffled Dean's hair._

" _MUUUUMMM!" Dean had protested, pushing her hand away._

" _Be that it may, Mrs. Thomas, but it's the wand that chooses the wizard."_

Dean decided that he would be going home and having a nice long chat with his Mum. It seemed that he had a wizard father and he needed to get some answers. He shook Percy's hand and entered the lift. The lift was empty apart from a couple of inter-departmental memos flying around his head. He swatted them away as he quickly made plans of calling up Justin and Seamus with this new development. He chuckled at the thought of Seamus's expression of finding out Dean was a half-blood like himself.

The lift came to a stop as the Memos flew out.

" _Level 2, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services_ ", said a cool female voice.

Hmmm... It was a bit cold, Dean thought, as a few more memos zoomed in. Maybe, some maintenance issues, Dean decided.

As the lift doors closed, Dean saw a pale faced Sally Anne Perks being escorted to a door marked " **Interrogation** " by two Dementors.

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 **Author's note** **\- As always, please let me know your thoughts on the chapter. I'll be looking forward to your reviews. Cheers!**


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